With A Whimper
by Amaroqwolf
Summary: When the Mutant Registration act pushes forward, our Hero's are forced into some very Dark Days ahead. Written souly in the first person, from many different points of view.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: With a Whimper.

The Late October sun was just preparing to set, off to the north thunder heads looked ready to roll in short order. In the Xavier institute for gifted children the halls were empty. Dust had gathered on the expensive artifacts. Cobwebs hung from picture frames as if to mock the people with in there wooden frames. The front foyer was a mess, the windows had been blown in, glass sparkled in the sun. A vase lay on the ground, dead and forgotten flowers lay forgotten as if someone had dropped the vase. A spray of blood slid up the wall a small hole in the center marking the passing of a bullet. The Body long sense removed. In another hallway upstairs water pooled in the hallway and three long claw marks dug through the fine grain wood. Outside something floats on the surface of the pool just a doll left behind or dropped in a rush, a tree lays on its side, ripped in half by gun fire. This time when they came knocking there had been no tranquilizers, pure bone and muscle destroying bullets. Lives had been taken here.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

Chapter 1: Dazed and Abused.

When they passed the mutant registration act those of us who knew, felt in our bones how bad it would get ran away. Vanished into the unknown and unexplored. Those of us who stood our ground when they came to our doors were mowed down with bullets. Those too young, or too scared to fight were tossed into the back of a waiting military vehicle that shut us off from our mutation. Magneto was one of the one's who vanished taking the brother hood of mutants with him. Taking some of the X-men with him as well, those smart enough to know what was coming. I couldn't help but feel the pain when it reached us that Jean Grey had been shot through the head when they'd broken into the institute. That Scott Summers had been literally cut in half before he could blow anyone away. They had at one point been my friends, my family. This was hell on earth for all mutants, not just us bad guys anymore. Hiding in the woods, the mountains, the desert where ever was unexplored untouched by human hand became home to us. To the persecuted.

When Bobby Drake and Kitty Pryde stumbled into our Camp three weeks after the taking of Xavier's school, they came bearing the sad news of those dead, and those captured taken away to the camps. Magneto called them concentration camps. The old Magneto, the one from before this war, before this hell would of smirked and told Drake and Pryde he told them so, but this Magneto hugged them both. Told them they would be safe here, we will never be safe, and then had one of his many show them to a place to rest and get cleaned up. Me I wanted to ask what happened to Rogue. But, instead I kept to the shadows, kept my face hidden by the hooded sweatshirt.

I watch, I've gotten really good at that, I barley spend time with Magneto at one point I was his right hand man now, no the little speedster is that. The kid runs in and out, finds small groups of mutants hiding and brings them to us. Still don't know how Bobby and Kitty found us with out him. I should go talk to them, see how they did it. It would be our group again, a group among a group. I wouldn't be the outcast, the ignored. I can feel the witch watching me again. I duck my head and head for one of the camouflaged tents. One of our new recruits was a part of the army. When the forced the registration on us he was one of the first to run. Stupidly enough nobody took his codes away. He was able to get us all sorts of gear. Well, not me just those that were important to Magneto.

She's not far behind me, she's always keeping an eye on me. It drives me nuts I'd fry her if I didn't think Magneto would kill me for it. I slump down on one of the borrowed Bed rolls and stare straight ahead. I don't talk much anymore, which I'm sure Bobby would find amusing cause he could never get me to shut up. I finally give in and look at her not saying anything I search her eyes for something to show me what she's seeing. Haven't looked at myself in weeks. I ignore the twinge of pain in my leg.

"You can't stay angry for every John," She says.

"Pyro," I insist.

"None of us use those names anymore John, its not safe."

"Your father does,"

"My father is different,"

"Your father is a prick,"

I close my eyes expecting her to hex me for saying such a thing. Especially about our great savior. Some Savior and old man in a cape and helmet. I open my eyes and look at her, this time I see what I'm looking for the pity. The pity most of the old brother hood must be feeling for me now. I used to be the strongest, now I'm the weakest.

The explosion that ripped the last brotherhood hide out to pieces had killed me. Literally my heart had stopped beating. The soldiers had left me there, I was dead a clean up crew would retrieve me shortly. Speedster had found me, he had informed Magneto who instead of telling him to leave me had told him to bring me to the new base of operations. I never found out what happened to the likes of Gambit, Toad and The Blob. Rumors tell me that Avalanche is out there somewhere. Causing hell for the soldiers. An earthquake in Chicago had buried 300 Gestapo, thats what Magneto calls them, alive. Only three had made it out alive, thanks to an unknown Mutant pulling them out.

The President had said on TV that if this unknown unregistered mutant came forward he or she would be given a full pardon for his or her crimes as a mutant. Yeah, right the pardon would be a firing squad ready to blow their brains across the sidewalk as soon as they showed themselves. I wonder if it had been one of the X-men. There were still a few running free, Wolverine, Rogue maybe Rogue, but I haven't asked Bobby yet what happened to her. Storm, Colossus, one of them would still want to save humanity maybe.

"How is your leg?" The witch's voice break through my thought's I'd almost forgotten she was there.

"Fine,"

"Any pain?"

"Its fine,"

"If it was fine you would be out on missions again, now any pain?" She insists.

"What does it matter, I'm useless now."

"your never useless John,"

"Pyro," I want so very bad to call on my powers, to burn her alive show her how useless I can be when her father kills me.

She just shakes her head. "You won't get better acting like this," She turns and leaves, leaves me alone just like everyone else. I know, I'm driving them away but its easier this way, it makes life easier this way. If I'm not one of them then when I do finally die. For good. Maybe I should go see Bobby and Kitty, I'm starting to think like I did before I was a part of something. Right now I feel like I'm not a part of anything. I pull myself up cursing my leg the whole way till I finally get myself on my feet.

As I make my way to the tent that Bobby and Kitty are in I wonder now where Wolverine was. The feral of a mutant had saved them the last time the army had come knocking. I wondered if maybe just maybe he'd run before things had gotten bad. I finally reach the tent and I pause outside listening to the sounds of them talking to each other. I swallow and clear my throat, silence meets that, then finally the tent flap is pulled back and Kitty looked out at me.

"John," She whispered.

I open my mouth to correct her only to have her grab me and pull me into the tent hugging me tightly. She's crying I'm not used to this, I look up and I see Bobby watching us. I look confused I must because suddenly he's hugging me as well. I feel safe, I feel warm, I feel at home. They tell me they'd heard rumors that I was dead, killed in the attack on the brotherhood home. I find myself wondering why they blew us up. In truth I know why, were the dangerous mutants. The one's who need to be killed first, we won't be worthwhile in the camps. Concentration camps is what Kitty decides to call them. She says there just like the camps the Jewish were put in by the German's during the Holocaust.

I guess I never wasn't one of them, I guess maybe I was always one of them no matter where we were. It just took the end of the world to show us that.

This is the way the world ends....

This is the way the world ends....

This is the way the world ends....

Not with a Bang, but with a whimper....  
T.S. Eliot.


	2. Lies

Chapter Two: Lies.

Song Lies by Evenescence.

When the Mutant Registration Act passed, they told us lies, they told us nothing would change that they just wanted to know what we could do. They promised it wouldn't be a way to hunt us down. I suppose we should of seen through there lies but, we never did. Not till it was too late, not till Jean Gray lay Dead. Not till Cyclops was shattered. Not till there were concentration camps and they were banging on our door. My Dad always told me that things never changed, that someday just like during World War II The Gestapo came to the Jewish doorway and forced them into the streets.

They swore to us that's not what it would be like but again all lies. Lies our mothers told us to make us feel safe, we know now that it was all lies. From the day our powers manifested till the night me and Bobby Drake ran through the woods with US Soldiers trying to follow us. Till the night when I watched him freeze a man to death to save me from being raped. We had no idea who of the institute had survived this violent attack and who was now dead, and who resided in the concentration camps out somewhere in the Midwest. We ran, we didn't stop we manged just barley to make the boarders before they closed them down. Our goal was to find Logan, if he was still alive. I believe he is still alive, because for one his healing factor, we've seen him stand up to the phoenix and walk away with out a scratch. He had to be alive. At least that was my hope.

We never expected to be really safe, but the white haired teen who showed up one night spoke of a gathering of mutants in the Canadian Rockies. A safe place to prepair for the war. A war we never wanted to fight. Me and Bobby we discussed it for days while sitting in freezing rain.

I made the decision when the Mutant brigade found our camp and almost caught us. With out even a word to Bobby I headed North. Unprepaired, was an understatement but we made it somehow. We made it into the Rockies and with Pietro's direction's, the white haired youth who'd told us were to go stumbled into the camp, cold, starving and weak. And a shock was delivered in the first 10 minutes there. First Magneto was there like Pietro had said he would be and then he was hugging us both. Telling us it would be okay. Telling us we would be safe. He offered us warm clothes, food and beds. We took them readily.

The last thing either of us expected to see was John. The first attack from the humans on Mutant kind had been to destroy the house the brotherhood of mutants had been in. Those that hadn't died in the explosion had been taken to the camps. John had not been listed at the camps which had meant only one thing that he was dead. But then he was there outside the tent looking terrified, I could see in his eyes he expected us to turn him away but we were all in one boat now. We all needed each other. With out even questioning it I grabbed him and pulled him into the tent him and hugged him. It made my heart feel warm when Bobby joined us in the hug.

Our group, our threesome was complete again. I was happy, I was complete. Now if only things could go back to the way they were five years ago.

I swear by God this sacred oath

that I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler,

the Führer of the German Reich and people,

supreme commander of the armed forces,

and that I shall at all times be ready,

as a brave soldier,

to give my life for this oath.

Hitlers Oath


	3. Stripped Your Speech

Chapter 3—Stripped your speech

Song: Stripped your Speech CKY.

When you don't feel the cold it hard sometimes to understand why other people are cold. That first night in those tents, under the ever watchful eye of Magneto. With John and Kitty it was weird to watch them huddle together for warmth while I sat by myself. Watching them it was amazing how much John had changed sense the last time I'd seen him.

He was quite which in itself was a god send because before he never knew when to shut up. But I suppose getting blown up can change the need to talk. Its obvious he has trouble getting around, just the way his leg moves when he sits or stands up. The last time he'd gotten up when the dark haired girl had come up with some food, it had been obvious he was struggling to not cry out. Didn't they give medical attention out here, I had to wait for Kitty to finally fall asleep wrapping herself in one of the bed rolls to get the chance to pull john off to the side.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

He just stared at me and shook his head trying to move away, trying to not answer my questions. I didn't mean to get angry but we were all in the same boat now, we shouldn't be hiding things from each other. I pushed him into the wall and watched in almost grim satisfaction when pain welled in his eyes.

"What happened to you?" I repeated, less questioning more demanding this time.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at me coldly. I could see an urge to do damage coming in his eyes. "what happened" He hissed fire in his tone, I waited for him to set me on fire. "The Army happened, they set explosives and those of us that didn't die are now in concentration camps!" he snarled his voice never raising. "Were will be tortured, ripped apart and experimented on!" He continued. "Wanna know how I survived that?"

I was quite waiting to see what he would say, the fire suddenly went out in his eyes and he looked down ashamed hurting, who knew really but him. I released my death grip on him and pulled him away from the wall. "Let me see."

He stared at me silent as a mouse now, I had a feeling no one had really seen the damage done to him until now. It wasn't just physical damage no. There was mental damage done here as well. "John," I whispered.

He shook his head. "I can't Bobby, Its not that simple, it'll all heal someday." He whispered.

I shook my head and pushed him into the wall again and we fought, he tried his best to keep me from winning but in short order I had him pinned face first against the wall and I could see the damage done to his back, scars slid up and down his back. "Let me see your knee," I whispered.

He blinked hanging his head he turned around to face me again. He stared at me for along time and I was almost tempted to tell him to forget it. Before I could speak though he undid his jeans and slowly shucked them down exposing his damaged and twisted limb.

I had to bite my lip to resist my own pain at what I was seeing. It was as if someone, it wasn't hard to tell who, had taken a hard piece of metal and encased his leg in it. Holding the damaged limb in place. I reached out and touched the leg watching the scared flesh twitch.

"Oh john,"

"Its fine," He said pulling his pants on again looking down ashamed.

"Who did that to you?" Like I didn't know.

He rolled his eyes at me as he finished buttoning his pants. "Who do you think, it keeps it strong." He growled.

"That's a lie you can barley use it," I insisted.

"I'll be fine." He stated with a sigh and slowly sat down stretching the damaged limb out in front of himself.

I looked at him then sighed and sat down beside him looking at the fire in the middle of the room. Watching the flames dance and change shape. I wished I had left the X-jet with John that day up at Alkali Lake. Gone with him, maybe John wouldn't be in the shape he was in now. But, everything happens for a reason and were here now, together again.

I guess when your born,  
A person is a hard drive,  
And the hard drives not full.  
The more time you spend with certain people the more information you gather.

Your friends change you with their presence.  
You steal phrases,

and bits and pieces of knowledge on all kinds of levels.

It's a state of constant metamorphosis."  
Ville Valo.


End file.
